Report: New York Likely To Get 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend

It looks like we may have found a location for the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. Here’s Howard Beck of the New York Times with the report:

HOUSTON — The N.B.A. All-Star Game is returning to New York in 2015, to a borough yet to be determined.

Both Madison Square Garden and the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn have applied to host the 2015 game, Commissioner David Stern said Saturday. No other cities are currently under consideration, making it a near certainty that New York will host the game.

That would be big considering, well, it is New York. It also adds a little flavor to the growing Nets/Knicks rivalry. It will be revealed soon on which venue they would use.

As for the last time All-Star Weekend was in New York? It was 1998 when Kobe Bryant made his All-Star game debut. The weekend was a bit different than usual. The Slam Dunk contest was shelved for that weekend (before it made a return due to Vince Carter’s entry into the league). And the 2-Ball Competition was a new event (it was replaced in 2002). The All-Star game wasn’t much of a contest as the East won, 135-114. Michael Jordan won his third and final All-Star MVP award.

With no other cities in consideration for the 2015 All-Star Weekend, expect New York to get the nod for that event. Madison Square Garden has been wanting that event for a while now but the Barclays Center is new and would like to take advantage of that by having All-Star Weekend held in that venue. It will be interesting to see which arena gets the midseason event.